doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Safety on hammer gun?

I noticed a good looking hammer gun in the for sale section. Forgive my ignorance but why would they put a safety on a hammer gun? I always heard that the legendary Billy Perdue shot hammer Purdeys at live pigeons because they were certain to fire. Is this just some trial lawyer nanny state thing or am I missing something?

Ever try to hunt woodcock or grouse with a hammergun?

For the same reason you would put a safety on a enclosed hammer (hammerless) gun - to mitigate unintended hammer fall. Obviously, an exposed hammer gun is safe from unintended hammer fall when the hammers are cocked only to the halfcock notch; barring a blow serious enough to break the trigger nose/halfcock notch. The position of exposed hammers, cocked or not, is generally obvious to anyone interested. The fly in the exposed hammer gun ointment is having to cock them just prior to firing. The equal fly in the "hammerless" gun ointment is that the unexposed hammers are generally cocked and can't be seen. Therefore, a safety is more or less required equipment on hammerless guns. A safety is more or less redundant on an exposed hammer gun unless one wishes to carry it cocked --- as one does with a hammerless gun.

Sound reasoning. The old live pigeon double guns were often sans safety but you are right, I would not like to hunt with one. Still looks a bit odd to me though.

Billy Perdue started out shooting a M21, then went to a Parker and shot it until it was unusable. Then he shot a Purdey for 21 years and ended up shooting a Fabbri. Never knew the Purdey was a hammer gun.

SRH

I have two hammer guns, without safeties. They work OK! for Quail or Pheasants over good dogs, but absolutely forget it for Grouse or Woodcock.
One can carry the gun with shells in the chambers and the action open with hammers cocked and then close the action when a bird flushes. But, talk about inconvenient and slightly dangerous.
Problem is, of course, that quality doubles, of any vintage, with hammers and safeties are mucho expensive.

To keep all the hand wringing hammer gun wannabes form whining so much.

One does not shoot hammer guns to gain some sort of imagined advantage--there are few, if any. The guns are chosen by those who are drawn to the dawn of cartridge guns and all the traditions,heritage, and workmanship they represent. They're taken into the field with full appreication of their limitations. Then at the end of the day the hunter has a special pride in whatever game has been taken, knowing it was accomplished with handicaps others didn't enjoy. Back to your original question: I have no idea why anyone would want a safety on their hammer gun--if they have to go modern why not just buy a modern gun. And leave all those relics to we few throwbacks to an earlier, slower time. (See my tag line below)

Thanks Joe, from one Throwback to another, missed you at Vegas...

I came across this unusual rebounding hammer gun the other day with twin safety catches - one for each hammer.
The safety catch operated to lock the hammer in the down position!
If you were going to fit a safety catch to a hammer gun then I would have thought it would have been most useful when the need was to have the gun cocked for a quick shot at say snipe or woodcock. Imagine having to slide both safety catches back before you could cock the hammers - you would need some very long range cartridges.
Not surprisingly it didn't catch on!
John